The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-11-27
GHOSTS ON THE OCEAN.
GHOST STORIES OF THE PRESENT DAP.
The Ghost Aboard the Charles and the chest
that Haunted the MoneMnrd.

In the twenty years Of my seafaring life 1
had two experiences with haunted ships. The
term may provoke n smile, but II there are
haunted houses why shouldn't there be
haunted shipsp As to the question OF tho
supernatural, 1 may or may not be a believer.
1 will give You the Incidents just as they oc-
Cured. and II you can explain everything sat-
isfactorily to yourself shall be gratiaed.
An English brig called the Charles, In making
her first voyage from Liverpool to Boston. had
some trouble with her crew, and In putting 1t
down the Captain shot a sailor named Jack
Wallace. Jack lived about an hour after being
hit, and he cursed the Captain high and low,
and he vowed by all that was good that he
would haunt the brig rs long as she fioated.
I'm blessed If he didn't begin the haunting
business that very night, creating IN
alarm which made even the firstrmate shake in
his boots. On getting into Boston every man but
the second mate deserted her. She loaded her
cargo. shipped another crew, and on the way
over to England Jacks ghost kicked up such a
row that the men were for taking to the boats
in midocean and desorting the brig. Every
man of them. mates and all, left her at Liver
pool, and it was two weeks after she was ready
to sail again, this time for New Orleans, before
she could lind n crow. News of an affair Of this
sort gets spread about sooner and further than
ypu Notiu iliiuStuc' tNth Withoub tio hVip VI
the newspapers, and Jack Tar will not sail in a
haunted ship for any mans money.
The brig reached New Orleans after a long
passage, and she had scarcely tied to the wharf
when everybody deserted her, the Captain 60
ing with the rest. There was u regular stam-
pede. and the vessel wns left In the hands OF
the consignecs at the drop OF tho hat. found
her two weeks after this with her load OF cot
ton nll aboard aud her sails bent for sailing.
Her old crew had talked moro or less. and
double wages wore being offered for n crew.
First mates place was offered me, while an
English sea Captain had come down from New
York. We regarded the ghost business us all
nonsense. and were prepared to Erapple with
any spirit or investigate any mystery. BY our
own personal efforts We finally picked IN II
crew. getting hold of men here and there. who
had Just como into port from long voyages and
had heard nothing to the briggs prejudice. We
dr9prsd down the river and got to- sea without
course none Of them was booking Tor the mys-.
%terious., We were well out to sea before night
midnight TO stand my watch there was a steady
breeze and u moderate sea. and thS, Captains
mn'y wni haa t Hatt a = r TIS IT 'i n nya or h. bcrc n and ii ihsr 9l
and inside OF n quarter of an hour all except
tho lookout were slowed away here and there
everything very quiet allow and aloft. when my
attention was attracted TO the sight OF Il sailor
coming tlI. L WAS on mo SturDOtiTu quarter,
port rail, and made ms il to go to tho
wheel wiz { i, His ,oo,stans GaEe out no sound SiHc
l never could describe. 1t was n breach of dis
cirlinc for II forcmast hand to appear on the
quarter deck without a special crrand or with
ont s%a!uting, and when l saw this man making
his way along the quarter toward the man at
the wheel it slruck mo that he was walking in
his sleep. | picked up n ropes end ana started
for him, but he glided ahead like u, shadow,
passed within Two feet of the man q the wheel,
staggered about, and tho brig would have come
up into the wind haI not jpmped for the
the mon threw a buoy over and We presently
ston2ei our way and made ready to lowers
bout. 1t was then discovered thnt no one was
missing. Every man aboard of that craft was
there TO answer to his name.
fol- Th nrs c%P ta ls ssE gu" mt t" ,,i SiyS me Eu 3 kee ,6h2 linz
inside; called to the sailor who had seen all, and
we tea our story IN = way which Put the old
he wouldn't believe in the supernatural. and
70 man could have, been more uneasy.
m nHi hSna i w Ssn' ni I saw iio sirhih his rs ycrsidh the Of fore the
matter. II think l saw. the spook before Mr..
Temple did; l thought it was one of the men
| saw him bear OF to port, and saw Hr. Temrio
start for him. | beloved it was 4 case OF, sleep;
have touched it, and there was q smell Of depd
folks about il. There WAS IA sailor look TO the
hSn e wa heinz nf,l q ySY1 m n II. , aiGsn i'm ,h his t Mo
s''','' "NANN J WI iAi', Ti'' an. 'iiiF. 49,,
fetched Il sort OF, i;Hoan rs he pissed me. and
=! =" W. Wen, oyer me n, stnrn as softly rs \ a r ISaf falls
shut up iiisscd tllo Captain, Tell me
that :%'in and r.! elan you in irons"
B'i, who was it, sir:'
Both # you were dreaming, and if I hear
any more Of il somebody will hear from me-
tie men. and, although he tried 10 make light
S .. tne mater Wht t | knew that he vas Ede'n!y pIz,
and said nOtIinr and nnihipU I'm ri hnr hH t,nnu.l
until the third nigLt., The second mate, is you
may know; Is really in charge of the Captains
and the limo WAS IL O'Clock. with my watch al
below, when something happened. His watch
not. therefore, be charged with dreaming All
Of n sudden II figure appeared among them. 1t
wa, first seen 1T the scuttle bait. and one of
the men; who was after II drink Of water, spoke
TO II under tho impression, that 1t was ono OF
his shipnatrs; 1t GiiaGl away, and ut tho
same moment his ~nostrils wero greeted with
sIcn an odor that he cried ont in disgust. Tho
strange IiEuln was seen ly four men Of the
watch as it Eildcs! TO II point n few feet abait
the lorcinist, ana there stood Tor two or threo
minrtc3 viii, hands pressed upon its side. and
It's ooiT WWfnvIgc to and fro. 4 man Of tho
feared man or ~devil-called out to the mys;eri-
for If Ro you TE s playing a trick on us, look out
With that no picked up n bucket, or b~oiaying
pm. or weapon OF some sort which was handy
mystenrious pcrsonase vanished mt tho snap of
your finger. There was u row which brought
us al on deck, and now the fact that there was
a mysterious something aboard tho brig
could no longer be concealed. The Captain
rnved and clustered. but the men had seen
what they had seen, and IL was no use to brow
beat them. Tho watch below refusal to turn
n again. Thc Captain undertook to drive
them ut the muzzle of his re- Oliver, and they
tllInHtencd to Jump overheard.
There may DO n haunted house in a neigh
borli9od. but no ono fears 1t unless he pasSeS
1t. Hero was II shin believed to be haunted.
and yet no one could get away from it. | con-
fess that things did look at least queer" to me,
and while the Captain pooh-poolcd and talked
IN n loud voicel realized that he was a bit shaky.
MIR. Graves also clustered about. swearing at
the men and advising n dose Of belayin. pin to
cure their nonsense. ana when the Captain
told him to turn in he went down to his berth
with u laugh and u swagger. Three minutes
later lie returned to us with n face as white as
chalk. and it was a full minute before no could
use his tongue to TANNER out:
",Thc-tho thing is in the cabin!'
without Il word In reply We descended tho
next, and Mr.. Graves bringing up The rear. As
we passed along tho hall and pushed open the
cabin door, the figure Of u man could DO made
out on the far side of the cabin, where the
shadows were darkest, II was as plain as any
make out the face and other details. We